Between the Sepsis Alliance and the Center for Disease Control, a lot has been published about the impact of sepsis on the US healthcare system.  The dramatic figures in the USA reflect an even more grim picture when one examines what’s been happening in less developed countries where healthcare technology and methods are not as advanced.

Impact on OUTCOMES

The Sepsis Alliance asserts that every minute counts. Administration of antibiotics and fluids saves lives and reduces morbidities. The CDC says over one million new cases of sepsis occur each year. Sepsis is the ninth leading cause of disease-related deaths, killing more than 258,000 Americans annually.

Impact on COSTS

The longer sepsis goes untreated, the more damage it does, and the more expensive it gets. In the USA, sepsis is responsible for 5.2{300f18f9449b12b5a52f6978a173ee9682c7e4d9ecd43c314e9761c12287ae37} of the cost of all hospitalizations. Not only only can the costs behind initial admission scale quickly as organs fail, the likelihood of readmission rises.In 2010, approximately 16{300f18f9449b12b5a52f6978a173ee9682c7e4d9ecd43c314e9761c12287ae37} of those with one sepsis hospitalization were readmitted two or more times for treatment within a one-year period.

Motivation for Technorati

For a tech startup driven by the hunger to make the world a better place, these figures are incredibly compelling invitations to participate in a counter-attack. It drives us to play a role, however small or large, to contribute to an improvement.  As humans, we want to see less suffering.  So with sepsis we have a profound opportunity.  At the same time, our business sense also calls us to consider economic impact. With the escalation of political focus on healthcare costs, we can’t ignore an opportunity to tackle that growing calamity either.

We have (at least) two giant callings here.

 

Dave